Automatic shut-off for grain-elevators



(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheen 1.

G.' W. NYE. AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF FOR GRAIN ELEVATORS. No. 518,622.

Patented @11.24, 1894.

I Iullllllillllm 'fNo Model.) s s n e e t s s h e e t 2,

AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFP FORGRAIN ELEVATORS.

10.518.622 PatentedApr.24,1s94.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. NYE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF FOR GRAIN-ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 518,622, dated April 24, 1894.

Application iiled April 27, 1 891.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. NYE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Automatic Shut-Oft' for Grain-Elevators, of

My invention relates to improvements in automatic shut ois for grain elevators, and the object of myinvention is to provide means whereby, when the leg of the elevator becomes clogged, communication between the boot and the supply of grain is cut off through the slackening of speed of the cup belt. I attain these obj ects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, represents the two divisions of an elevator leg, showing the endless cup belt, friction wheel, ball governor, rotating disk, pivoted arms, Weights, cords, sheaves, and catches, constituting the means for releasing the sliding gates whereby communication between the supply of grain and the cup belt is cut 0E. Fig. 2, represents the sliding gate near the lower extremity of the elevator leg, and the lever whereby said gate is lifted and released. Figs. 3 and 4, show an alternative method of holding and releasing the sliding gate; Fig. 3, being a front view thereof, and Fig. 4, a side view thereof. Figs. 5 and 6, show respectively a front and side view of the lower part of the elevator leg where two sliding gates are employed. Figs. 7 and 8, show another alternative method of holding and releasing the sliding gate. Fig. 9 is a detail view of a collar, having projections thereon for the vertical spindle of the ball governor.

Similarletters referto similar parts throughout the several views.

A, A, are the two divisions of the elevator leg. I3 is the endless cup belt, and b, b, b, b, are cups thereon, all constructed in the usual manner.

A', A', are hoppers for supplying grain to the leg.

C is a frame or box attached to the back of one of the divisions of the elevator leg near# est to the endless cup belt. This frame or box is open on the side at which it is attached to the leg. In this frame or box is journaled the iat faced friction drive wheel c, shown in Serial No. 390,586. (No model.)

dotted lines in Fig. 1, which bears against the endless cup belt through a suitable aperture in the elevator leg, with such force that it will be driven by said cup belt when in motion. The shaft of this friction drive wheel c extends beyond the frame or box C at one side thereof, and bears the sheave F, (shown` in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) which actuates the endless cord G, also shown in dotted lines in the same figure. This cord Gis deflected by idlers, and passes around the horizontal pulley I-I, for the purpose of rotating the vertical spindle I to which it is rigidly attached, and which is` supported in suitable boxes on the frame C, in such manner that it can be easily rotated.

Rigidly fastened to the top of the spindle I, and rotating with it, is a cross piece j, to each extremity of which is hinged one of the two arms J, J, each of which arms has attached to the end thereof, a ball b of suitable Weight. The arms .I,J, are connected at about their central portion to the disk or collar K, by links j', j. This disk or collar rotates with the spindle I, but is free to rise and fall upon it as the ball governor thus formed is rotated rapidly or slowly. Said disk or collar has a projection or projections of any de sired shape upon its periphery.

The construction above described is substantially the same as that shown and described in Letters Patent, granted to me for an improvement in alarm bells for grain elevators, dac., on the 24th day of February, A. D. 1891, No. 446,881, and maybe used in connection with the bell ringing lever e, as fully described in my said Letters Patent. The vertical standard Z, is slotted and attached to the box C bythumb screws, so as to be vertically adjustable on said box.

L is a hooked arm pivoted to the slotted vertical standard Z at Z, and extending beyond said vertical standard Z, on both sides thereof. To a lug Z2 on this vertical standard are pivoted two arms m and m', connected together at their pivot and standing nearly at right angles to each other. When the arm m is in substantially upright position, its upper extremity may engage with the hook on the arm L. When the upper extremity of the upper arm mis engaged with the hook on the arm L, the lower arm m will occupy ICO ` quent slackening of thespeedof the cup beltk a substantially rhorizontal position, kso that the two weights n, n, may be hooked upon said arm fm and thereby supported in posi-` tion. rTo theseV Weights fa, n, are attached cords '1v/,n2 which pass over sheaves n2, n2, in blocks secured to the bar N,`Wl1ieh bar eX'- tends across from one division of the elevator leg/to `the other. TheoppOSite ends yofthe cords n', n', are attached/to the triangular pieces of metal or catches Q, O, at the inner extremities of said catches. Sad catches O,

O, are suitablyhpivoted at ktheir upper eX-y tremities to the elevatorleg, and bear projections or teeth,'which engage with a suitable projection on the levers, P, P. Each of the levers P, P, has a handle at one end, andat the other is pivoted tothe elevator leg at p2.

`Each leverl? passes loosely throughastrap p', on an extension of the sliding gate R, which opens and closes the aperture S, in the lower partk of the elevator leg, through which thegrain is admitted to the leg.

yIn operation, the arm m is heldin an up right position by the hooked arm, L; the Weights fn., n, are hooked upon the arm m', which then stands in a horizontal position.`

o The gate R, is lifted, and the lever'P held up by one of the teeth on the catch O. The speed of the cup belt being normal,the arms J, J, Will spread, and the collar or disk Kwill be lifted out of the Way of the hookL. When the elevator leg becomes clogged, the consewill cause the rotationot' the spindle I, to be less rapid than when the cup belt is Working properly; this lessening [of speed permits the balls b, b, to approach each` other, and force ydown the disk or collar K. If the leg is seriously clogged, the' speedk of the cup beltwill be so slow that the disk or collar K will fall loW enough for a y projection thereon to engage with the inner end ofy the hooked piece This action will push aside' the hooked arm L, and cause it to let goth'e arm fm,k and ythe eonsequentfall of the arm fm. on its pivot l2 will ,cause the Weightsy to slip ott from said, arm m. The Weights Will then fall'with such force that the cords n,n,fvvill"draw over the sheavesn2 n2, and-jerk the lower and inner ends of theeatches O, O, upward, thus disenvgaging the teeth 0,-0, on said catches from the lever P; This action Will permitithe1e` vers P, and with them the sliding gates Rto fall, thus closing the apertures S in the` lower end ofthe leg,andpreventin`g any more'grain from entering:theleg.` This shutti 1 the grain' will frequently permit the cup" belt to overcome the difficulty Withoutstopping the belt; :and in any event/enables tlleoper-y ator to remove the obstructioneasily.

The standard l, is slotted, so that'it can be adjusted vertically, and heldin position by y f set screws upon thebox C. This construction enablesy the operator t0 lset ,the hooked arm L, at different altitudes, so that: its inner Y `end will enges@ Withy the projections, on the collar K,as the cup belt has dierent 'rates of y i lspeedhas desired; it being obvious that the higherthearm Lis set, thefgreater the speed ofy the cupbelt Whenl the Weights will be released by theengagement of the arm L, with the projectionsy in thecollarK.

Insteadofr theleverla chain T, mayfbe ff. if

'fastenedy to the slidingy gate R, kand passing over a guardedsheave have` one ofpitslinks yhooked into a tooth on the catch O. The falling of the Weightn, Willdraw the tooth onthe if catch from the link-of the chain T, into whichy it is hooked, and permit the gate R to fall and close the aperture S.

- If desired, the usual sliding gate U, actuf ated by the rack u and pinion fu', and hand Wheel o2 may be retained, and an additional sliding door-R of sheet iron or other suitable material, `with `lever P', used, as lshown in Figs. y5 and 6. This outer doory is automati-y cally closed in the` same manner asaistheV door, R. i When suchadditional door is used it should be bent as shown at w Fig. 6, so as to Work outside the door U. *The closingk ot' o this door will not shut off entirely the supply of `grain from the elevator leg, but will only lessen the same, so that if the leg is notseriously clog-ged, it Will clear itself withoutfclosy, ing the innerdoor, U, andthus enti'relysjhut-f ting oft the supply ofgraini from the leg.` y

- "In Figs; 7 and/f8, the ordinary sliding gate U, is lifted and'lowered Vby means kot a rack o, on theextension of the gate, and a pinion e meshingwithsaid rack; vthe said pinionbe ing set upon a spindle c3, having at oneend 1 a handwheel @Zand on the Iother a ratchet wheel fr. The `gate Ubeing lifted, thepawl r', prevents the spindle from rotatinggand o thus holds thefgate uplifted. The springs` bearing on the paWl rinsures the engage- Vment ofthe payvl with the teeth in the ratchet wheelr. `To the pawl r is attached the cord 'rt, so that when the Weights 914%, are released and fail, the cord n willlift the pawl Maud Aleave the spindle U3 free to rotate. Thegate U, will then `fall .of itsown Weighhaud close the apertureS, through which the mitted totheelevator leg. f

- What I claim as new, and desire'to secure by Letters'Patent,iso.`

1. In anJautoniati'c device for shutting 0E Q Y the supply ofy grain from a grain elevator-,a .t t friction wheel operatedby theV elevator belt, a ball-governor driven,thereby,` rdiskjorl `coll 'having a owe-hook L adapten ,to be engaged nysaid ar-adapted-tori l able projection thereo projection, a pivoted lever, having the arms mm, a weightn, adapted Lobe supported by the armmza cord fn attached tosaid weight andfpassing overl a suitable' guiding sheave,

,acatch secured to theiend of said eord,a slid- `ingdoor, and means adapted tobe engaged."

bysaid catchwhereby when the. speedof the belt slaekens thehook L will release thearm l m,gcau`sin` frk e weight Vto fall f and :1 release grain is adconnected with the outside gate and adapted to be automatically actuated bythe cup-belt of said elevator in such manner that said outer gate Will fall when the speed of the cup-belt slackens.

GEORGE W. NYE. Witnesses:

` JESSE COX,

GIDEON F. L ANAGHEN. 

